Chocolates for Ryuji
by goodfairyofny
Summary: A special valentine date for Ryuji and Akira. As much as I love the Akechi "honey I'm home" scene, I wanted to see it Ryuji style. Also, Ryuji's text is my absolute favorite part of Valentine's Day in Persona 5!


_Hey, you think the chocolate I got from my mom counts?_

Akira smiled at the text from his best friend and longtime crush, Ryuji Sakamoto. He quickly typed a reply, still grinning from ear to ear.

 _I have chocolate. Come over after dinner, we can hang out._

 _Sounds good, later, man._

"You don't have any chocolate, Akira," Morgana reminded him from on top of his shoulder.

"I guess we'll just have to go shopping, then."

"Aww, but we just got home! I'm hungry!" Morgana complained.

"Tell you what, if you go shopping with me, we can pick up some sushi to-go on the way back," Akira said, tempting the cat.

"Sushi! O-Ok, Joker, let's go get some chocolate!" They headed out the door and caught the train to Shibuya. The Underground Mall was sure to have chocolates in the gift shop. Akira and Morgana picked out the cheesiest, sappiest looking heart-shaped box of chocolates. Before heading out, Akira decided to stop in Rafflesia to grab some flowers. _May as well lay on the romance, right?_ Morgana rolled his eyes. "I don't think Ryuji has refined enough taste to appreciate _flowers_ , Joker." Akira shrugged and entered the store anyway.

"Oh, Akira! I didn't think you were working tonight!" The manager exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm not. I have...plans, tonight. I just came to buy a bouquet, actually."

"Ohhh, flowers for your valentine?" she asked.

Akira cleared his throat. "Yeah. Something like that."

"What can I get for you?"

"I'll take a scarlet rose, a gold gerbera, and three adoration orchids, please."

"Wow! Must be for someone very special," she said, as she assembled the bouquet. Akira just nodded. When she was finished, he paid for his bouquet and thanked her. He was quiet as they exited the mall.

"Sushi now, Joker?" Morgana reminded him softly as they walked the streets of Shibuya.

"Absolutely," Akira replied. He sent Ryuji a text.

 _Change in plans, we're picking up sushi, so come hungry!_

 _Sweet! Be right over!_

They stopped and picked up enough sushi for Morgana, Akira and Ryuji to share when they got home. The shop was busy due to the holiday, so it took a bit longer than expected. When they entered the cafe, Akira saw Ryuji seated at the counter, sipping on a soda while flipping through his phone.

"Welcome home, you two," Sojiro greeted them.

"I'm going to go say hello to the Chief," Morgana said quickly, jumping off Akira's shoulder and landing on a stool at the counter.

Ryuji looked up and turned towards the door. Akira felt a flurry of panic in his stomach. _Just play it cool, Kurusu, you can do this._

"Honey, I'm home!" Akira said brightly. But not as brightly as the smile the blonde gave him in response. When Ryuji smiled it was like having the sun shine for only you.

"Hey, babe. You got the chocolates?" Ryuji said with a wink. Akira figured he was just joking around, but he suddenly felt weak in the knees.

"You bet. And the sushi," he added.

"Ooh, right, the sushi!" Morgana exclaimed, hopping over the the booth where Akira had set the food down.

Sojiro eyed the bouquet in Akira's hand, and cleared his throat. "Well, uhh, I'll be closing up now. Don't forget to lock up." Akira nodded. He couldn't quite meet his guardian's eyes. He wasn't embarrassed, he was just incredibly nervous all of a sudden. Once the door was shut, Ryuji made his way to the booth.

"Wow, looks great!" he exclaimed when he saw the spread of sushi. Akira set out three plates. Morgana ate happily as the boys chatted.

"So what are the flowers for, man?" he asked innocently, his mouth full of fatty tuna.

Akira took a deep breath, picking up the flowers and smiling. "They're for you, valentine."

"What? Nah, really, man? And I didn't get you a thing," Ryuji said, with another 5778 Kelvin smile.

When they finished dinner, Akira made drinks. Hot chocolate with whipped cream for Ryuji, a coffee for himself, and fresh water for Morgana. After he got a drink, the cat was sleepy and full, and curled up on a blanket in the corner of a booth for a nap. Akira was rewarded with yet another smile and a fist bump for the chocolates. They sat side by side, sharing them for awhile.

"So, what do the flowers mean? They all have meanings, right?"

"How did you know that?" Akira asked suspiciously.

Ryuji shrugged. "Haru told me."

Akira took the bouquet in his hands. "Well, the yellow one is a gold gerbera. It represents adventure. I chose it because the adventure you bring to my life makes me happy," he said, feeling nervous. The grin Ryuji was giving him made him feel confident enough to continue. "The scarlet rose, that's this red one, represents passionate love. And since you're my valentine and all, I thought that was appropriate." He gave Ryuji a sly wink, and the blonde laughed happily.

"What about those little white ones?" Ryuji asked.

Akira cleared his throat, which was feeling a bit dry from nerves. "Those are adoration orchids. They're… used to confess love."

"Wait, n-no way," Ryuji began. "Why would you get those for _me_?" he asked.

 _It's now or never_ , Akira thought. "Because I… I adore you, Ryuji. You're like my own personal sun beam. My life is nothing without you. I… I love you," he said softly, looking down at the flowers in his hands.

Ryuji took a deep breath, then laughed softly. The laugh built and built until he was near hysterics. "Man, I'm so glad you said all that, because I was _so_ not gonna be the one to say it first." He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Wait, what did you say?" Akira asked.

Ryuji turned towards him and smiled softly. "I love ya, too, dude! Always have, always will." He leaned in and gave Akira a soft kiss before gently moving away and returning to the chocolates. "Hey, you want to see a movie tomorrow? There's this action flick playing that looks good."

Akira smiled. "Sounds good. More hot chocolate?"

"That would be great, babe." He beamed at Akira before picking up his bouquet and sniffing it happily.

Morgana lifted his head sleepily in the corner. "Turned out to be a pretty nice valentine's day, after all, huh Joker?"

Akira laughed. "The best one yet."


End file.
